Berlin, Berlin, Germany
As Assistant Vice President & Head of HR, I am a strategic and people-centered HR Leader with nearly 20 years of experience shaping organizations, cultures, and leadership across Europe. Known as a People & Culture Leader and HR Transformation Leader, I bring both strategic vision and operational depth to every role I take on. Having worked with global brands such as Nike, TJX Europe, Claire’s, and Footlocker, I bring deep expertise in Retail, Digital Transformation, and Organizational Development, combined with a passion for building agile, high-performing environments. My current focus lies at the intersection of HR, Business, and Artificial Intelligence – exploring how AI can enhance the impact, professionalism, and efficiency of HR functions. I believe that the future of HR lies in augmenting human capability through intelligent systems, freeing HR to focus on what truly matters: people, culture, and leadership. Core Expertise • People & Culture Strategy • Organizational Transformation & Change • Leadership Development & Executive Coaching • Digitalization of HR & Agile Ways of Working • AI for HR: Leveraging Technology to Drive Human Impact • Inclusion, Engagement & Employee Experience My leadership philosophy is simple: empower leaders, enable teams, and align HR with measurable business outcomes. I am driven by creating workplaces where people feel inspired to contribute, grow, and lead. I see HR as a strategic driver of business success – not only a supporting function, but a true enabler of performance, innovation, and culture. For me, people strategy is business strategy: when leaders grow, organizations transform, and culture becomes a competitive advantage. Throughout my career, I have partnered closely with senior executives to translate complex business goals into people-focused strategies that deliver measurable results. Whether restructuring organizations, developing leadership capability, or guiding teams through large-scale transformation, my goal is always the same – to connect people, purpose, and performance. I believe that effective HR leadership requires curiosity, courage, and empathy – curiosity to explore new ways of working, courage to challenge the status quo, and empathy to understand what truly drives people. As an HR leader, I strive to combine strategic clarity with human connection – creating environments where both organizations and individuals can reach their full potential.
Building on my experience as Head of HR Germany, I now lead the people and culture strategy across four European markets (Poland, Austria, Netherlands, Spain) and partner with the Vice President Emerging Markets to drive organizational growth, leadership capability, and engagement. - Leading a senior HR team of 7, driving cultural transformation and leadership excellence. - Defined a unified People & Culture Strategy balancing global alignment and local agility. - Introduced AI-enabled HR tools to support talent analytics, learning personalization, and workforce planning. - Partnered with Executive Leadership to strengthen organizational agility, succession, and inclusion. - Built a culture of trust, accountability, and high performance across diverse markets. Focus Areas: People Strategy | Organizational Transformation | Leadership Development | AI for HR | Inclusion & Engagement
Putting our people first and ensuring a great place to work for more than 9,000 associates across all stores and field operations in Germany. Key Responsibilities & Achievements: - Led the HR Business Partner function in Germany, managing a senior team of five HR Business Partners covering all retail regions. - Acted as strategic business partner to the Vice President Retail, shaping the national people and talent strategy in line with European objectives. - Drove initiatives to strengthen leadership capability, engagement, and retention in a fast-growing retail environment. - Translated business priorities into actionable HR solutions, balancing operational excellence with a strong people-centric culture. - Introduced data-driven people insights to support workforce planning, performance, and talent mobility. Focus Areas: People & Culture Strategy | Talent Development | Leadership | Employee Engagement | HR Business Partnering
Founded a boutique HR consultancy supporting organizations in becoming more agile, data-informed, and human-centric. Highlights: - Guided HR teams through agile and digital transformation initiatives across multiple industries. - Designed and delivered the “Certified Agile HR Partner” training program. - Introduced AI for HR concepts to optimize recruitment, workforce planning, and learning strategies. - Developed leadership and team-coaching frameworks focused on adaptability and empowerment. Focus Areas: Agile HR | Organizational Change | HR Transformation | Digitalization of HR | Leadership Coaching -> On the Mission to guide HR into an agile future!
Partnered with six senior leaders (VP & GM level) across Digital Commerce (incl. Digital Platforms & Site Operations), Product, Engineering, Analytics, Membership, and Communications to drive Nike’s EMEA digital transformation. Key Achievements: - Co-created a cross-functional Digital HR Strategy to support Nike’s “Lead with Digital” vision. - Led a virtual HR team (9 FTEs) covering Talent, Learning, and HR Data functions. - Strengthened leadership capability through executive coaching and transformation labs.
Partnered with the VP Nike Direct Digital and VP Retail to align people strategy across physical and digital channels. (Functions in remit: Digital Commerce & Operations, Analytics and Engineering, Nike Stores Owned / Premium Retail Stores - including the functions: Store Operations, Real Estate). Key Achievements: - Unified HR initiatives across e-commerce and retail, enabling omni-channel leadership alignment. - Implemented agile working principles across HR and retail management teams. - Co-led organizational design initiatives improving speed, collaboration, and customer focus.
Responsible for HR leadership across seven markets (Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark). Key Achievements: - Delivered a consistent People Strategy supporting EMEA growth and organizational alignment. - Partnered closely with the HR Director AGS to design and deliver a cross-functional, cross-channel HR strategy connecting Wholesale (WS) and Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) business units. - Strengthened leadership pipeline through targeted succession and development programs. - Supported cultural integration and agility during cross-market restructuring and transformation.
Led HR across four European countries, partnering with the Managing Director Zone 3 and VP HR Europe. Highlights: - Managed a multi-country HR team of 6 and aligned regional HR processes with global frameworks. - Co-led the setup of Claire’s first European HR Service Center, transitioning local HR structures and processes from Central Europe to the UK. - Streamlined operations by harmonizing policies, centralizing transactional HR activities, and improving efficiency and compliance.
Local Head of HR for Germany and the Netherlands, leading a team of four. Key Focus: - Delivered end-to-end HR strategy from recruitment to development. - Improved employee engagement and leadership effectiveness across retail operations.
Led workforce management across all German fulfillment centers, managing large-scale external labor operations. Highlights: - Directed planning for 10,000+ temporary employees. - Improved vendor performance and cost efficiency. - Strengthened labor compliance and operational transparency.